Harrogate school to become an Academy

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St Robert’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate has become an Academy and joined the Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust.

Announcing the move to academy status Dr Matt Blackamore, the Chair of the governing body at St Robert’s, said, “We are so pleased to be joining our fellow Catholic schools in the Bishop Wheeler Trust and we are looking forward to working closely with them to continue providing great education together”.

Welcoming St Robert’s to Bishop Wheeler Trust, Diane Gaskin, the Chair of the Trust Board, said “We are delighted that St Robert’s has chosen to become the eleventh academy in our successful and growing Catholic education partnership.The outstanding education that the school provides makes it a great addition to our Trust family.”

Darren Beardsley, interim Chief Executive of the Trust, explained that academisation is fulfilling Bishop Marcus Stock’s vision of a ‘family of schools’ supporting each other, maintaining education standards and raising them further, and realising the benefits of sharing resources and expertise.

The Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend Marcus Stock set out his vision for the Catholic schools in his diocese in 2018 in the following words:

"The strength of any family is in the quality of its relationships. This is evident when its members, respecting the dignity of each, work together for the good of one another and in the service of the common good.

"This, too, will be our strength in the years ahead if, as a diocesan family of schools, we are able to build relationships, forge solidarity and develop a collaborative framework of family groups of schools that is resilient to present and future challenges, and provides us with the confidence to take advantage of new opportunities."

Jill Collins, Head Teacher of St Robert’s, expressed her gratitude to the Trust and the Diocese of Leeds for their help throughout the process of converting to an academy: “The support and care we have been given over the last year shows how the Trust will enable St Robert’s to continue providing an outstanding Catholic education to our children.”

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